Dear Academy Families,

Another busy few days have come to an end here at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Academy. I hope each of you has a great weekend, as we rest up for what should be an exciting week at school. Please see below a few updates for the next few days and some reminders.

I-Ready: This past week all students began the I-Ready diagnostic test. Towards the end of next week, all students in Grades 1-8 will be sent home with their I-Ready beginning of the-year diagnostic test in Reading and Math. There will be a letter that explains the purpose of the exam and the next steps both in the classroom and at home with the I-Ready program. Of course, if you have any questions please be in touch with your child’s teacher and/or the administration. Our Kindergarten students will take their diagnostic test during the week of October 3rd. 

AFA Vice President: The Academy Family Association executive board has an open position in the role of vice president. The main responsibility of the vice president is to act in the absence of the President and perform other duties as assigned. We are also hoping that the vice president takes on a leadership role in the newly formed Franny Friendship Committee. We are asking that anyone who is interested in running and serving in this position to email Dr. Scharbach by Friday 9/23/22. Please note to qualify as an officer your child(ren) must have attended St. Francis de Sales Catholic Academy for at least one full school year. Dr. Scharbach will contact the candidates no later than the week of 9/26/22 to explain the duties and determine the candidate’s willingness to serve. The school will develop a slate of at least two candidates for the position and have an election if necessary no later than the week of 10/3/22. 

Special Lunches: Just a reminder that next week our special lunches will begin. On Mondays moving forward until June 5th students who ordered a bagel will receive one, on Thursdays moving forward until June 8th all students in Grades K-4 who ordered Pizza will receive a pizza lunch and on Fridays moving forward until June 2nd all students in Grades 5-8 who ordered Pizza will receive a pizza lunch. If there are any questions please contact Lisa Hayden at [email protected]. 

Absent Notes: As the school year moves forward many a time a child may be absent from school for various reasons. Please remember that when a child has been absent, a written excuse is required from his or her parents/legal guardians. Without this written notice please note that your child absent will be recorded absent without a note on our attendance record. Also please remember that if your child tests positive for COVID-19 you are still asked to report the case to the main office by phone call or using the following form.  

Safety Around the School: We are asking for your help during drop-off and pickup. Safety is our number one priority at St. Francis and we do not want to see any of our students hurt. What can you do to help?

Please Do Not: 

• Double park
• Block driveways of our neighbors
• Park in no parking zones 
• Block crosswalks
• Block school entrances 
• Honk your horn repeatedly
• Drive aggressively 
• Drive fast

Please remind your child that if he/she is riding their bike to and from school they need to lock it up on the bike racks near the small hall entrance of the school.  The school cannot be responsible for bikes that go missing especially if they are not locked up each day. Thanks in advance for helping us out with this very simple safety measure. 

Thanks in advance for your cooperation with these safety guidelines. 

School Yard/Parking Lot: As discussed at a few different times last year, we are asking all parents to please watch their children in the schoolyard after they have been dismissed from school. We have had several instances of children on scooters riding into other children. There should be no bike riding or scooter riding in the schoolyard until after all classes have been dismissed. In the past, we’ve also had issues with families parking their cars in the lot. Please understand that we use the schoolyard for recess and dismissal, so if you could please try to find street parking, that would be very much appreciated. If parking in the schoolyard occurred for some reason, please remember that no one should be leaving the parking lot until after 2:45pm. Finally, at no time should any child be climbing a fence or bleachers from the parish basketball program. This is a safety issue, and of course, we do not want to see anyone hurt.

SFDS Parish Oktoberfest: Next Friday the Parish is hosting a fundraiser in the schoolyard. Due to plans to set up for this fundraiser, the school will have limited use of the schoolyard on Thursday 9/29, and Friday 9/30. 

Due to this, please note the following

1. The schoolyard will be closed/locked on Thursday 9/29 and Friday 9/30.
2. There should be no cars in the schoolyard, basketball or playing before or after school on 9/29 or 9/30.
3. Dismissal for grades K-4 on Thursday 9/29 and Friday 9/30 will still take place in the schoolyard yet closer to the school. If there is any change in dismissal plans, parents will be notified by a FACTS alert. 

We thank you in advance for your cooperation.  

Enrichment Programs: We are delighted to once again partner with our friends at Mad Science, Crayola, Abrakadoodle, and Paul Effman Band to offer various enrichment programs this upcoming school year. For more information about any of our enrichment programs please click here.  Please note that our Fall Mad Science Class is now closed out. 

If you have any questions, please send an email to Mrs. Endall at [email protected].

Blessing of the Animals: October 4th is the feast day of Saint Francis of Assisi.  Saint Francis is remembered as the patron saint of animals and the environment.  Saint Francis of Assisi chose a life of poverty, prayer, and peacemaking.  He cared for the poor, the sick, and all creation, and founded the Franciscan order. It is customary on the feast day of Saint Francis to bless the animals, in remembrance of his love for all creatures, great and small.  All are welcome to join Saint Francis de Sales Parish for the blessing of the animals on Tuesday 10/4 at 4 pm in the prayer garden.  Feel free to bring your pets. 

VIRTUS Training: St. Francis de Sales will be hosting two VIRTUS training sessions onsite on Monday 9/26 at 7pm (CLOSED OUT DUE TO SPACE) and on Monday 10/24 at 7pm. Both sessions will take place in the Small Hall. You can sign up for The 10/24 session or any session in the Diocese of Brooklyn by clicking here. 

Fundraising Corner

Fall Plant Sale: We are partnering up with Shannon’s Florist in Brooklyn to have a Fall Mum, Cabbage, Corn Stalk, and Hay Bale sale. Please click here for an order form. 

For each item pick a quantity even if it is zero. All order forms are due by Thursday, September 29th.  We need to have the order to the florist no later than Friday, September 30th.

You will be billed the amount you order through your FACTS account soon after.

The completed form is due by Thursday, September 29th.  

The items will be delivered to the school on Monday, October 3rd, and will be available to be picked up at dismissal on the 3rd.

Football Frenzy: Football Frenzy is a fundraiser sponsored by St. Francis de Sales Catholic Academy. All proceeds directly support the activities of St. Francis de Sales Catholic Academy. The fundraiser is based on the 2022-2023 NFL football season with a donation of $20 per ticket. Each ticket includes a different set of three NFL teams each week of the regular season, with a chance of winning cash prizes each week. For more information on this raffle please click here.

To order tickets for this raffle please click here. 

Amazon Smile: AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support St. Francis DeSales Catholic Academy every time you shop, at no cost to you.

When you shop at smile.amazon.com, you’ll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to our Academy.

To shop at AmazonSmile, go to smile.amazon.com from the web browser on your computer or mobile device. You may also want to add a bookmark to smile.amazon.com to make it even easier to return and start your shopping at AmazonSmile. Good news! AmazonSmile is now available in the Amazon Shopping App to all AmazonSmile customers using supported Android devices. You can use the below copy and instructions to share the news with your supporters!

Any questions regarding any of the above fundraisers please contact Mrs. Hayden at [email protected]

SAVE THE DATE

$1 Dress Down: On Wednesday October 5th students may bring in at least a $1 to dress down and wear Blue and Gold for Down Syndrome Awareness. All money raised will go to St. Camillus Special Olympics.  

Upcoming ½ Day: For planning purposes Friday 10/7 will be a half day with 12 noon dismissal for all students due to our afternoon faculty meeting.

 Terranovas: From October 12th– October 19th the Terra Nova assessment series will be administered to students in grades 3 through 8.  This assessment series is administered to all students attending Catholic elementary schools in the Diocese. The Terra Nova is designed to measure concepts, processes, and objectives taught throughout the nation.  Terra Nova results are used to: analyze strengths and weaknesses of a student’s achievement in each content area; plan for further instruction; plan for curriculum development; and to report progress to parents.

Socktober: On Friday, 10/14 don’t forget to bring in $1 and wear CRAZY socks as we celebrate the last day of summer uniform. 

Just a reminder that Friday October 14th 2022 is the last day that students are allowed to wear their summer uniforms. Starting on Monday, October 17th students need to be in complete winter uniform. For the full uniform policy please click here. Please email Mrs. Hayes at [email protected] with any questions. 

Have a great weekend.